Combination hat and ventilated protective shell



W. W. COX

Aug. 30, 1966 COMBINATION HAT AND VENTILATED PROTECTIVE SHELL FiledSept. 29, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MAMA M Cox ,4 rap/v66 Aug.' .51966 w, w, CQX ,6,M

COMBINATION HAT AND VENTILATED PROTECTIVE SHELL Filed Sept. 29, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. M044 4/ Cox A? zi /V675 a azeasn Ice PatentedAugust 30, 1966 3,268,911 COMBINATION HAT AND VENTILATED PRQTECTlVESHELL Wilma W. yCox, 930 th Ave, New York 21, N.Y. Filed Sept. 29, 1964,Ser. No. 400,018 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-3) This invention relates toprotective hat coverings and more particularly to a head coveringincluding a conventional hat and an inner protective shell.

In recent years increasing attention has been given to the utilizationof various types of protective coverings for the head in sports andother recreational activities whereas in the past such protectivecoverings were almost entirely involved in industrial and commercialactivities. Recently professional baseball leagues adopted requirementsfor hard shell hats to be worn by all players at least while takingtheir turn at bat. In all known respects such hard shell hats have nothad the identical external appearance as the normal playing cap of thebaseball player and consequently have lacked the preferred attributesthereof at least from an aesthetic standpoint. In addition, priorprotective devices of the latter general type have been found to berelatively uncomfortable for the wearer due to the fact that the shellmember is non-porous and additionally to the fact that the shell fitsclosely about the head. Consequently, wearing of such a device for anysubstantial period of time, or even for a short time under certaincircumstances, increases the tendency to perspire which in addition tothe discomfort, increases the likelihood that the hat will slide off thewearers head thereby removing the protection.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hat, moreparticularly a sports cap or the like, having the conventional externalappearance of such a hat, and having retained within it by the normalsweatband of the hat, a protective shell which provides a shaping formfor the hat and has an inner head harness assembly carrying a secondsweatband for engagement with the head of the wearer to provide aventilated space between the head of the wearer and the inner shellthroughout the inner contour thereof.

Another object is to provide a hat with an easily insertable andremovable inner protective shell.

Another object is to provide a device of the above type in which theinner shell has, in addition to the inner harness, a resilient liningfor the shell to provide protection against severe blows.

Briefly the present invention comprises in combination a cap having aperipheral sweatband therein, the cap and the sweatband being joined attheir lower edges and the sweatband extending upwardly within the cap toprovide a shell receiving pocket therelbetween. A head protective shelldimensioned to be received within the cap is disposed therein in closeconformity with the interior surface of the cap and has a lowerperipheral edge disposed within said pocket to retain the shell in thecap. A head harness assembly is disposed within the shell having a crownportion spaced from the shell and circumferentially spaced dependingstrap members each having a lower pair of fastening tabs. The first tabof each pair is releasably affixed to the shell adjacent the lower edgethereof and lies within said pocket at its lower end portion. The secondtab of each strap member lies inwardly of the sweatband, outside of thepocket, and a second sweatband is releasably affixed to said second tabsnear their lower ends and is carried thereby at an inwardly spacedposition from the first named sweatband providing a peripheralventilated space between said sweatband communicating with the spacebetween the shell and the crown portion of the harness. Resilient padmeans are afiixed to the inner surface of the shell at least on thoseportions at the inner top thereof and between adjacent strap members ofthe harness.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description and claims, and in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a hat according to the present inventionshown in use;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded assembly view.

Referring to the drawings, a hat and protective shell combinationaccording to the present invention is designated generally by referencenumeral 10. It is comprised of a conventional hat of any desired typesuch as the sports cap 11 shown having the conventional. sweatband 12.The hat 11 and sweatband 12 are joined together at a common bottom edge13 by any conventional means and the sweatband 12 extends upwardly asviewed in FIG. 3 to provide a pocket or interstitial space 14 betweenthe sweatband 12 and the lower peripheral portion 15 of the hat 11.

Disposed within said hat is protective shell member 16 fabricated fromany conventional hard plastic or other material used in conventionalprotective shells. Shell member 16 is dimensioned to fit snugly withinhat 11 and provides a shaping contour therefor. The shell 16 is retainedin place within hat 11 by means of its lower peripheral edge portion 17which is received within pocket 14 of the hat and is easily insertableand removable therefrom.

Disposed within shell 16 is a head harness assembly designated generallyby reference numeral 18 which is fabricated of any desired material suchas a flexible plastic or the like and has a crown portion 19 disposed ata spaced position from the inner top portion 20 of the shell 16 and hasa plurality of depending strap members 21 at circumferentially spacedpositions each having at its lower end a pair of tab portions designatedgenerally by reference numeral 22, one tab 23 of each pair having a holeconfiguration 24 adapted for releasable interconnection with buttonfastener members 25 affixed to the lower portion 26 of the shell atcorresponding circumferentially spaced positions and extending inwardlyfrom the inner surface 27 of the shell 16. The lower portion 26 of shell16 including the button fasteners 25 and the lower end portions 28 ofthe tabs 23 are disposed within the circumferential pocket 14.

Second tabs 29 of each pair 22 lie outside of pocket 14, i.e. inwardlyfrom sweatband 12, and have at their lower ends 30 fastener holes 31 toreleasably interconnect by manual pressure with fastener buttons 32extending outwardly from the periphery of inner sweatband 33 to mountthe latter sweatband to the head harness assembly 18.

Resilient pad means 34 of any desired material, provid ing anypreselected degree of resilience and compression strength, are securedby adhesion or other conventional means, to the inner surface 27 ofshell 16 to provide secondary protection from more severe blows and suchpad means 34 are located at the inner crown portion 20 and at spacedtemple positions located at circumferential positions between thedepending strap members 21. Optionally the shell 16 may includeventilation holes 35 at any desired locations.

By the above arrangement it is seen that the peripheral interstitialspace 36 between the hat sweatband 12 and the inner sweatband 33communicates with the space 37 between the harness assembly 21 and theshell 16 to provide a continuous hemispherical ventilating space for thehead of the wearer and since the sweatband 33 is adjustable suchventilating cavity 36 can be varied as desired for greater or lessventilating characteristics. In addition to the ventilatingcharacteristics provided by the inner sweatband 33 it is also obviousthat such second sweatband also contributes to the shock absorptionquality of the entire combination.

It is to be understood that changes and additions may be made to theabove invention as described in the single embodiment without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination a sportscap having a peripheral sweatband therein,said sportscap and said sweatband being joined at their lower edges andsaid sweatband extending upwardly within said sportscap to provide ashell receiving pocket therebetween, a head protective shell dimensionedto be received within said sportscap and disposed therein in closeconformity with the interior surface thereof, said shell having a lowerperipheral edge disposed within said pocket whereby said shell isretained in said cap, a head harness disposed within said shell having acrown portion spaced from said shell and circumferentially spaceddepending strap members each having a lower pair of fastener tabs, thefirst tab of each said pair releasably aflixed to said shell adjacentthe lower edge thereof and lying within said pocket, the second tab ofeach said pair lying inwardly of said sweatband, a second sweatbandreleasably affixed to said second tabs near their lower ends and carriedthereby at an inwardly spaced position from said first named sweatband,providing a peripheral ventilating space between said sweatbandscommunicating with the space between said shell and said crown portionof said harness.

2. In combination a sportscap having a peripheral sweatband therein,said sportscap and said sweatband being joined at their lower edges andsaid sweatband extending upwardly within said sports cap to provide ashell receiving pocket therebetween, a head protective shell dimensionedto be received within said sportscap and disposed therein to closeconformity with the interior surface thereof, said shell having a lowerperipheral edge displosed within said pocket whereby said shell isretained in said cap, a head harness disposed within said shell having acrown portion spaced from said shell and circumferentially spaceddepending strap members each having a lower pair of fastener tabs, thefirst tab of each said pair releasably affixed to said shell adjacentthe lower edge thereof and lying within said pocket, the second tab ofeach said pair lying inwardly of said sweatband, a second sweatbandreleasably afiixed to said second tabs near their lower ends and carriedthereby at an inwardly spaced position from said first named sweatband,provid ing a peripheral ventilating space between said sweatbandscommunicating with the space between said shell and said crown portionof said harness, and resilient pad means affixed to the inner surface ofsaid shell.

3. In combination a sportscap having a peripheral sweatband therein,said sportscap and said sweatband being joined at their lower edges andsaid sweatband extending upwardly within said sportscap to provide ashell receiving pocket therebetween, a head protective shell dimensionedto be received within said sportscap and disposed therein in closeconformity with the interior surface thereof, said shell having a lowerperipheral edge disposed within said pocket whereby said shell isretained in said cap, a head harness disposed within said shell having acrown portion spaced from said shell and circumferentially spaceddepending strap members each having a lower pair of fastener tabs, thefirst tab of each said pair releasably afiixed to said shell adjacentthe lower edge thereof and lying within said pocket, the second tab ofeach said pair lying inwardly of said sweatband, a second sweatbandreleasably afiixed to said second tabs near their lower ends and carriedthereby at an inwardly spaced position from said first named sweatband,providing a peripheral ventilating space between said sweatbandscommunicating with the space between said shell and said crown portionof said harness, and resilient pad means afiixed to the inner surface ofsaid shell at least on those portions at the inner top of said shell andbetween adjacent strap members of said harness.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,763,863 9/1956Bowers 23 2,983,923 5/1961 Aileo 23 3,026,523 3/1962 Bowers et al 233,055,013 9/1962 Aileo 23 3,103,015 9/1963 Plastino 23 3,154,788 11/1964Simpson 23 3,192,536 7/1965 Benner 23 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

J. R. BOLER, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION A SPORTCAP HAVING A PERIPHERAL SWEATBAND THEREIN, SAIDSPORTCAP AND SAID SWEATBAND BEING JOINED AT THEIR LOWER EDGES AND SAIDSWEATBAND EXTENDING UPWARDLY WITHIN SAID SPORTCAP TO PROVIDE A SHELLRECEIVING POCKET THEREBETWEEN, A HEAD PROTECTIVE SHELL DIMENSIONED TO BERECEIVED WITHIN SAID SPORTCAP AND DISPOSED THEREIN IN CLOSE CONFORMITYWITH THE INTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF, SAID SHELL HAVING A LOWER PERIPHERALEDGE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID POCKET WHEREBY SAID SHELL IS RETAINED IN SAIDCAP, A HEAD HARNESS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SHELL HAVING A CROWN PORTIONSPACED FROM SAID SHELL AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED DEPENDING STRAPMEMBERS EACH HAVING A LOWER PAIR OF FASTENERS TABS, THE FIRST TAB OFEACH SAID PAIR RELEASABLY AFFIXED TO SAID SHELL ADJACENT THE LOWER EDGETHEREOF AND LYING WITHIN SAID POCKET, THE SECOND TAB OF EACH AND PAIRLYING INWARDLY OF SAID SWEATBAND, A SECOND SWEATBAND RELEASABLY AFFIXEDTO SAID SECOND TABS NEAR THEIR LOWER ENDS AND CARRIED THEREBY AT ANINWARDLY SPACED POSITION FROM SAID FIRST NAMED SWEATBAND, A PROVIDING APERIPHERAL VENTILATING SPACE BETWEEN SAID SWEATBANDS COMMUNICATING WITHTHE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SHELL AND SAID CROWN PORTION OF SAID HARNESS.